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Although the tradition of growing and feasting on watermelon (Citrullus lanatus, syn. Citrullus vulgaris) goes back for thousands of years, the juicy fruit still has an endless capacity for surprise. New breeding techniques, along with the import of exotic cultivars, have made it apparent how many options exist beyond the red-fleshed, black-seeded varieties we remember from childhood picnics. If you're trying to grow traditional red-fleshed watermelons, however, inexperience either in selecting seeds or in growing them properly may yield some white-hued shocks come harvest time.

White Heart

White heart is a disorder that can develop during the final stages of watermelon growth. With this disorder, white streaks appear throughout the flesh of the melon. If your watermelon flesh looks solid white instead of white-streaked, you can rule out white heart and consider whether you have planted the wrong watermelon seeds. But if streaks at least one-quarter inch are running through the colored flesh, white heart may be the issue. This disorder can be caused by over-watering or over-feeding your watermelon patch, especially during the ripening process.

Hard White Watermelons

It's possible you may have inadvertently planted a preserving-type watermelon rather than the more familiar red, tender-fleshed watermelon. Preserving watermelons are known as citron watermelons, and are also called pie melon or stockmelon. These old-fashioned watermelons are used for pickling as well as in baking. Unlike most watermelons, white citron watermelons are hard-fleshed and cannot be eaten raw. They look like traditional watermelons on the outside, but their hard flesh makes them much more difficult to cut.

Tender White Watermelons

You may have also grown a watermelon that has been bred to be white-fleshed, but which is perfectly suitable for eating fresh. These breeds are tender-fleshed, unlike the white citron watermelon. Two such such cultivars, "Cream of Saskatchewan" and "White Sugar Lump," grow to be about 10 pounds and have traditional-looking rinds that are light green with thin, dark green stripes. The only drawback to these type of sweet, tender-fleshed watermelons is that they do not have the vitamin content of their red, yellow or orange-fleshed counterparts.

Cross-Pollination

If you buy seed from an unreliable nursery, or are new to saving your own seeds, you may mistakenly grow the offspring of a red-fleshed watermelon that has cross-pollinated with a citron melon -- the watermelon with the hard, white flesh that cannot be eaten fresh. While growing white citron watermelons near red-fleshed watermelons will not alter either type during the first year of growth, using seed from either of these melons may cause white-fleshed melons. Avoid this confusion by only buying seed from a reputable supplier. If you save seeds, don't grow citron watermelons near tender-fleshed watermelons.